An innovative true-to-scale multiplication table has been developed by a UK math teacher who blogs at on Twitter @TheChalkface.

The cool thing about the multiplication grid is that each value is represented by a size-true number of squares. So 1 x 5 is represented by 1 row of 5 boxes. And 5 x 1 is represented by one stacked pile of 5 boxes. Perfect squares are, well, square!

(1) having them predict
(2) then after the answer video discussing why their prediction was accurate/inaccurate
(3) ask if their predictions could have been made more reasonably and not just a guess
(4) ask them to determine the weight of each candy bar (using the package info)
(5) predict the number of bars that make up a pound
(6) take a standard Snickers bar and ask them to determine precisely how many minis make up a standard Snickers

In today’s newspaper, there’s a great Edison Lee cartoon, and it’s tapping into the fear generated by the new Executive and his administration. And I developed it into a problem for my 6th graders.

Here goes:

According to one source, if you were to dig and build a storm or bomb shelter in the basement of a 1 family home, it would cost between $5,000 and $6,000.
If you could use the 25% savings that Edison Lee found in the newspaper, what would be the range in prices of a storm or bomb shelter?
Show all work and explain your thinking clearly!

Student: “I don’t get the question.”
Me: [longwinded, exhaustive explanation of what the question is asking]
Student: “Yeah, I knew that. But I don’t get the question.
Me: “Oh. This is one of those conversations.”